The present invention relates to a method for selecting a mobile telephone operator.
The use of mobile telephones is still quite expensive and it is difficult for a user of a mobile telephone to know which telephone operator is providing the best price and signalling quality for a particular pending telephone call. The user is often at the mercy of one selected telephone operator and the user cannot conveniently select the best operator for a particular upcoming telephone call. There is a need for a system that enables the user to effectively select the best telephone operator for each telephone call so that the user can easily switch between the various operators. There is also a need for a system that enables the user to maintain the same telephone number while using different telephone operators.
The method of the present invention provides a solution to the above described problems. More particularly, the method is for selecting a telephone operator for mobile telephones. The mobile telephone has an operator card installed therein that has preprogrammed codes for providing communication via a first and a second telephone operator. A telephone number is then entered on the mobile telephone to activate the mobile telephone. A first request signal is sent to the first telephone operator and a second request signal is sent to the second telephone operator. The first telephone operator sends back a first response signal to the mobile telephone and the second telephone operator sends back a second response signal to the mobile telephone. A price request signal is sent to the first and second telephone operators. In response to the price request signal, the first telephone operator sends back a first price signal and the second telephone operator sends back a second price signal to the mobile telephone. The first price signal is compared with the second price signal and the first telephone operator is selected when the first price signal is lower than the second price signal and the second telephone operator is selected when the second price signal is lower than the first price signal.